Photo provided The paddles Toby Stigdon employs to propel his kayak are lightweight but provide good power with each stroke.
A Columbus resident is kicking off the second year of a fundraiser for cancer patients that went swimmingly in 2022.
Toby Stigdon, who has poorly differentiated thyroid cancer, is preparing for his second annual Kayaking for Cancer trip. This year, he plans to traverse the entire length of the East Fork White River from Columbus to Petersburg, Ind., with the trip taking place from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8.
Stigdon launched his first trip in 2022 as a way to raise funds for other cancer patients, asking individuals to donate to the Schneck Medical Center Foundation to show their support. The trip lasted three days, with Stigdon paddling about 74 miles on the East Fork to Sparksville, Ind. and raising close to $28,000.
“My body’s a little different,” he said. “They can’t really treat it with normal chemotherapy or radiation, so I tell everybody I’m going to push my body for them, because they fight, and they fight hard to get through that kind of stuff every day, so I’m going to push to raise money for them the best way I can.”
This year’s trip promises to be quite the push. Marty Benson with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ communications division estimated that the route from Columbus to Petersburg along the East Fork is about 200 miles, depending on where Stigdon starts.
Stigdon said that Greg Foley, who was with him last year, has committed to this year’s trip as well.
When asked if he has a fundraising goal, Stigdon said he’d like to double last year’s total or double the number of donors who give to the cause.
“I’d love to get about $56,000 this year,” he said. “But I’m not, when I start pushing — the ‘shares and cares’, I called it on Facebook — I’m not really going to say that. I’d like to end at least with $10,000, shoot small again and hope we land big.”
While the main trip isn’t until September, there a few special events planned for August.
Stigdon said that one of the things that saddened him last year was that there were some cancer survivors who wanted to go on the trip, but when he told them it was expected to be 66 miles, he didn’t hear back from them.
“That really upset me, because here’s a survivor that should be celebrated,” said Stigdon. “And I would try to say, ‘Listen, there’s a lot of places that you can just do 5, 10 miles and get out,’ but I never heard back.”
With that in mind, Stigdon is planning a shorter “Friends and Family Float” on Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. for cancer patients, cancer survivors, their loved ones, and anyone who’s lost someone to cancer.
The event will start at Blue’s Canoe Livery in Edinburgh, with a cost of $26 to rent a kayak or $15 to bring your own. The trip is seven miles, with Stigdon estimating it will take about three to four hours.
Additionally, Story Inn in Nashville will host a Kayaking for Cancer Comedy Show on Aug, 26 at 8:30 p.m., and there’ll be a send-off party for Stigdon at the Brooklyn Pizza Company in Seymour on Aug. 31 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
In preparation for the 200-mile trip, Stigdon has started a weekend regimen of going on a 5 to 10-mile paddle trip one day and going on a 2.5 to 5-mile hike the next.
He’s also planning a special challenge in upstate New York, which is where he was born.
“I plan on hiking up Whiteface Mountain to build endurance up in my lungs, because my lungs have been weak,” said Stigdon. “I don’t know if it’s the heat of the summer, if it seems hotter than normal, or the air quality, but I have struggled to breathe this spring for sure.”
He estimated that the hike will take eight to 10 hours.
In looking forward to the East Fork White River trip, Stigdon said that one of the challenging spots of this year’s trip is likely to be the Williams Dam, as he’s heard of people who have died by straying too close to the dam and going over. However, he’s been able to make contact with a bass shop in the area that can provide help when they get there.
He added that another challenge will be trying to pack for a seven- or eight-day trip without weighing their kayaks down too much.
Weather could also be an issue.
“Last year, the first two days were a cakewalk for me and my lungs,” said Stigdon. “And the last day, the wind was in our face, and I could see a difference. The three people that finished the last day, the third day with me last year, I was a good half-mile behind them because the wind was blowing in our face all day. So if we get — this is seven to possibly eight days we’re going to be paddling. I am really nervous about the wind.”
Assuming his cancer remains stable and he’s able to complete the 200-mile trip this year, Stigdon hopes to keep pushing himself and has his sights set on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in years to come.
Stigdon was diagnosed in May 2021 with poorly differentiated thyroid cancer that metastasized to his lungs.
This is an incurable disease, Stigdon stated in a flier about Kayaking for Cancer. However, thanks to the work of medical professionals and two radioactive iodine treatments, his cancer is stable. He has one treatment still available, if needed.
Stigdon said that his tumors have not grown since the last treatment, though they aren’t shrinking either.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “…This is about helping cancer patients in the future. That’s what I want to do.”
